Red
by Bean The Voodoo Queen
Summary: Elizaveta Hedervary never had a very good memory. Years later, when someone she lost long ago returns, she is confused at how she can feel so much for someone she thinks she has only known for a short time.
1. Chapter 1

_Splat, splat, splat._

Her torn, green dress swirled about Elizaveta as she sprinted down the cobblestone street, her feet making splashes in the puddles that were forming. It was only around four o'clock, but the sky was clustered with grey clouds, from which cold raindrops fell.

_Splat, splat, splat._

Elizaveta rounded the corner, panting hard as she skidded to a halt in front of the large building. A carriage was parked out front, with men loading boxes into it. Elizaveta caught a glimpse of a small blond toddler being bundled into the vehicle by his mother.

_Splat, splat, splat._

Footsteps sounded from behind Elizaveta and she turned, her large green eyes filling with worry.

"They said you were leaving." she wondered softly to the tall, albino boy in front of her.

Gilbert ,her best friend, gazed at her sorrowfully, his red eyes looking at her, then the ground.

"Yes. We have to go." he said softly, running a hand through his silvery white hair.

Elizaveta stood there in shock. He wasn't supposed to leave her. He was supposed to stay with her. They were going to play in the field behind the abandoned factory, have their tutors teach them together, practice swordplay, start riding. All of their plans were now ruined by this sudden departure.

She suddenly remembered the day they met.

* * *

_Stupid Roderich. He ruined all her plans with his damn piano. _

_Here she was, sitting at the base of a tree in the forest. Reduced to this, in her utter and complete boredom. _

_Practice does make perfect, she thought, but practicing every five seconds is too much. Roderich needs to learn that._

_A tap on the shoulder made her whirl around in a panic. She shrieked as she stared into a pair of scarlet eyes. _

_As she straightened, flustered, she took a longer look at the boy that had scared her. He was tall and skinny, with paper white skin and and silver hair. His eyes were that unnatural red._

_The boy kept on laughing. "KESESESESES!" he roared, "YOUR FACE!"_

_Elizaveta stood up, flustered. "Stop it. You could be nice and introduce yourself, you know."_

_The albino smirked and thrust a hand out "I am the Awesome Prussia, but you may call me Gilbert.."_

_Elizaveta rolled her eyes. "Elizaveta Hedervary." she said, shaking his hand roughly._

_Gilbert smiled again. "Elizaveta Hederwhatever is too long. I shall call you Liz." he announced, as if he were a king making a declaration._

_Elizaveta looked at him oddly. "Why are you so sure you'll have the chance to say my name again?"_

_This time, it was Gilbert who gave her the strange look. "Because we are friends."_

* * *

Elizaveta smiled slightly, then quickly focused on the present.

"When will you be back?" she questioned, her ten year old voice quivering with witheld tears.

Gilbert looked up in a flash, his eyes widening. "Elizaveta..." he trailed off.

Then's when she knew. Gil never used her full name, ever. She was always "Liz" or "Hungary". Never "Elizaveta". He must be serious.

He was never coming back.

Time suddenly slowed as she turned away, her feet pounding on the street as she ran. She heard her name being called in the distance, but she didn't care. She was still running.

Elizaveta slammed open the front door to her home, rushed upstairs, dashed into her bedroom, shut the door, and crumpled onto her bed. She lay there in shock for a couple moments, before registering a sound.

_Splat, splat, splat._

This time, though, it wasn't rain that was falling.


	2. Chapter 2

A small smile crept onto Elizaveta's face as she strode the market on the brisk fall morning.

"Come, Veneziano, Feliks is expecting us to be at his place by five, and it's four thirty!" she called behind her.

"But Elizaveta!" The Italian boy whined, staggering behind her.

"No buts."

"But I am tired!"

"You had a two hour siesta before I came to pick you up."

"It was only one hour and a half!"

Elizaveta laughed, tugging Ven along. "Soon, we will be at Feliks's house and you can meet people and eat and Roderich will be there and he will play his piano."

Veneziano brightened at this, and he straightened up, brushing his red brown hair out of his eyes. "May I have just one snack?" he asked quietly.

The Hungarian woman nodded and they stopped at a fruit stand, recognizing the familiar face.

"Toni!" Veneziano cried, wiggling up on top of the counter.

Antonia chuckled at the young boys enthusiasm "Hola, Ven, Elizaveta." he nodded, smiling.

Veneziano bounced up and down, before asking "Have you seen mia fratello?"

"Right here." Lovino rounded the corner, balancing boxes of tomatoes in his arms. "Oi, bastard, where do I put these?" he yelled to Antonio. The Spanish man simply grinned and took the box from him.

Lovino turned and was promptly tackled by his younger brother.

"Lovi!"

"What are you doing?!"

"I missed you."

"You saw me a half hour ago."

"Still."

Elizaveta and Antonio laughed at the scene. Eighteen-year-old Lovino was nine-year-old Veneziano's only relative, and though he didn't act like it, Lovino adored his younger brother and was very protective of him.

For now, however, Lovino simply picked the child up and set him back on the table "Don't tackle-hug. It's bad."

"Okay, Lovi!" Veneziano swung his legs and munched on a tomato.

After the pleasantries, Elizaveta bought some tomatoes and an odd looking fruit called a "pineapple", Elizaveta grabbed Ven's hand and dragged him off.

As Veneziano bounced alongside her, Elizaveta suddenly got a strange feeling in her chest. It sent cold shivers down her back. It felt strange and odd. It felt like...like...

Like someone was watching her.


	3. Chapter 3

Elizaveta looked around, trying to find the source, but she found nothing. Her eyes narrowing, she continued on, a bit quicker than before.

Soon, the two arrived at Feliks' enormous mansion. The eccentric Pole had built a new addition to the sprawling house and was throwing a celebration to welcome yet another ballroom. Elizaveta really didn't question why her friend needed a ballroom. Or wanted one. All she knew was that Feliks threw legendary parties. Music, food, decorations, hell, guests were _given_ clothes to put on so that they would color coordinate with one another. She sent Veneziano inside, where Liz knew Feliks would welcome him and give him something to eat "so long as he didn't get it on the, like, rug."

Smiling, the Hungarian women walked around the back, looking around the grounds. She was peering at a butterfly bush when she noticed the new hedge maze. The walls were tall and the only entrance was a wrought-iron gate. Elizaveta crept closer, reading the small silver sign that hung on the iron. A small metal rose sat above the calligraphy.

_No haste allowed_

_Waste your time_

_In the Rose Garden_

Like any curious mind, Liz pushed open the gate. It swung closed behind her as she gazed around.

The hedge was filled with roses. Barely any leaves could be seen in the sea of yellow flowers. Sunshine-colored roses seemed to go on forever. Liz followed them, then came upon a turn. Pastel pink. She took a sky blue turn, a bronze left, a bright orange right. It was right after a kelly green twist that she came upon a choice.

A golden sign hung in the middle of the two paths. It simply read _Choose. _The right way was filled with roses of the purest white. Petals littered the ground, looking like snow. Elizaveta suspected it would lead to the exit. Her eyes turned to the left, gazing upon the other path. Roses of the purest black seemed to go on forever. There were no twists, no turns, nothing of a sort. It seemed to lead into oblivion.

_Feliks really does have his eccentric moments, _Elizaveta thought, turning left.

About fifteen minutes later, she was rushing. The path couldn't go on forever. It couldn't! Elizaveta furrowed her brow, frustrated by her stupidity. "Hey!" she yelled, turning about. "Can anyone hear me? I got lost in the garden! Hey, he-"

"It said no haste."

Elizaveta shrieked, turning around slowly.

A tall man stood there, his hands in his pockets. His suit was shabby, a blue jacket with holes and brown trousers that looked as if they had been dragged through mud. What was the most surprising was his skin. The paper-white stood out against the black and his hair matched. Red eyes peered at her, amused.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"It said no haste." he drawled again.

"The sign said-"

"You should listen to what the sign says." the albino chuckled, than drew aside a curtain of black roses, revealing a dark red path.

Elizaveta rolled her eyes, than ducked through the curtain. "Who are you?"

"They call me Awesome."

"Seriously."

"Gilbert. Gilbert Beilshmidt." he stuck out his hand and Liz took it, shaking it. She looked at him curiously.

"I'm Elizaveta Hedervary." She introduced herself.

"Elizaveta Hederwhatever is too long. I think I'll call you Liz." he pronounced.

"What makes you think you'll have a chance to say my name again?"

"Because we are friends."

With that, he walked away, back into the never ending path of black roses.

Feeling as if something very, very odd had just happened, Elizaveta walked away through the maze of red roses until she came out the exit.


End file.
